England host India in the first of a five-match T20I series to be played between the two teams at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday, July 1. India come into this series on the back of a 0-2 hammering they received at the hands of Ireland, which was one of their lowest moments under mercurial head coach Gautam Gambhir. India simply lost the fight to the minnows, who basked in the glory of defeating the defending World Champions in this format of the sport.
That India lost this series soon on the back of dropping incumbent captain Suryakumar Yadav and appointing Shreyas Iyer via Indian Premier League performances was not lost on anyone. England, for their part, will be buoyed by Ireland’s success, and aim to repeat a whitewash on their own turf. Led by Harry Brook, the home team have named quite an experienced squad for this series. All-rounders abound in the squad, with the likes of Will Jacks, Jacob Bethell, Liam Dawson and Sam Curran expected to provide the side with much-needed balance.
The selectors have also named four wicketkeeper-batters in the squad, three of whom are expected to be a part of the starting XI – Jos Buttler, Phil Salt and Tom Banton. In the bowling department, Jofra Archer and Saqib Mahmood will be expected to deliver the goods with their express pace. However, some of the England players, such as Brook, Bethell and Archer will be playing in a Test against New Zealand till Monday, and will quickly adjust formats to play against India on Wednesday.
Predicted Teams
IND: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh.
ENG: Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wk), Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Jofra Archer.
Key Players
Shivam Dube (IND): A lot will rest on how well Shivam Dube manages to accelerate in the lower middle-order for India. The southpaw is one of the cleanest strikers of a ball in international cricket, and has played the specialist’s role of finishing innings for India. Dube used to be susceptible against seam bowling in the past, but he has worked hard at it and has become quite comfortable of late. The Mumbai all-rounder is one of the best players of spin in T20 cricket, and those who get the ball to turn back into him fear for their lives when he is in the mood. Dube’s long levers help him immensely.
Jos Buttler (ENG): Experienced beyond measure, Jos Buttler is one of the best T20 cricketers in the world. The Indian players know how dangerous he can be, especially as he has shown the world his true mettle while playing in the Indian Premier League. Often slotted to bat in the top-order, Buttler is a wicketkeeper-batter in the Adam Gilchrist mould who is not afraid of taking bowlers on. Buttler is at his best in the power play when the fielding restrictions are on, but even in the middle overs, he is comfortable enough to clear the ropes against the spinners.
Match Prediction
England are the favourites to win this match. India, after the disgrace they suffered at the hands of Ireland last week, appear to be in no place to challenge their hosts. In fact, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate even mentioned that there is some disbelief in the Indian dressing room following their 0-2 whitewash at the hands of the Irish. England have selected one of their strongest squads ever, and they are expected to overpower the Indians quite comfortably.
